easygojoe, coming from a old guy 68 and have just about every size dual sport out there you are going to really enjoy this bike. I think you will be very pleased with the performance and handling of the bike, some guys here do a lot of upgrades to the bike, I myself ride then in the stock form and add only protection and safety items to the bike, but each of us have are own way on how we like it, ie., make it your own. Can't believe there is a Honda dealer out there that has never had this model to sell, makes me wonder what type of dealer he is and where is his location. You will probably get a better deal on the dealer that has more to offer and has them on the floor to sell, don't wait too long as summer is upon us. Try to read as many post as you can, this will answer many question, but we here are always willing to help.

John

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John, I believe the dealer stated they were all pre sold and did not hit the sales floor. My dealer's first was like that, took a deposit, it came in , was set up and new owner picked it up. Bill C

Hey Easygojo, I had the same feelings when I bought mine and I was only 20miles from home. I wanted to read the owners manual, ride it around the yard etc...

I borrowed a pick up truck and bought some straps at the dealership for around twenty five dollars. They loaded it on the truck with a ramp, tied it down and sent me on my way.The tailgate wouldnt go up but it wasnt a problem.I just backed up to my porch when I got home, stacked some random bags of feed to make the drop off more gradual and rolled it off the back of the truck.

I'm getting more addicted ever time I take it out now. It defiantly reawakened some sense of freedom I'm loving this bike.

You have to do whatever you are comfortable with.
I got back into bikes after a 35 year gap, bought a V-Star from
a dealer 170 miles away, and rode it home. I did not drop it.

The biggest chance of dropping a bike is when you are loading or unloading, be it a trailer or pickup bed or hitch carrier.

If you have motorcycle experience behind you, the memory is still in your head, much like riding a bicycle. If you sucked at it 30 years ago, you will still suck at it now, or the opposite, only you know what it was like.

The good news is the CRF250L is about the most user friendly motorcycle you could get for re-entry. It is not top heavy, and has no bad habits to snare the unwary rider. The clutch engagement is broad and smooth, the power flow is the same. Brakes are very easy to modulate, and you will have to really screw the pooch to find any surprises. It feels much lighter than the published weight, and would be easy to stand up from a nap.

You will be right at home within about one minute after take off, then you
will be having a really pleasant experience and wondering what you were
worried about.

It is all relative, for example, I learned how to stand up a 900 pound Goldwing from a Utube clip posted by a girl,
and there is a blog on this site by a noob that bought a retired CT110 honda in Australia and rode it from Sydney to London, wearing the same tennis shoes he left with 4 months earlier.

Thanks for all the help guys. I think, on reflection and from some opinion here, I will just take the canopy off my pickup and get a ramp. It will fit in my bed with the tailgate down. Then I can get more acclimated to it around here.

Thanks for all the help guys. I think, on reflection and from some opinion here, I will just take the canopy off my pickup and get a ramp. It will fit in my bed with the tailgate down. Then I can get more acclimated to it around here.

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Just watch out for the brakes, they are really poor when new, and I don't mean maybe. I think Ed@Ford said there was something sprayed on the discs so they wouldn't rust on the boat from Thailand. They are fine after a while, but downright dangerous right off the bat.

Just watch out for the brakes, they are really poor when new, and I don't mean maybe. I think Ed@Ford said there was something sprayed on the discs so they wouldn't rust on the boat from Thailand. They are fine after a while, but downright dangerous right off the bat.

I am currently getting around 25km's per litre, which is not too bad and gets me close to 200km's per tank. I have yet to test how far I can actually go before I run out, but I will strap on some spare fuel and do this before my EJK tuner arrives. Has anyone done a before/after fuel efficiency with the EJK tuner? I have read reports of 10% loss and I seriously hope that it is no more than that. I should have the EJK this week, I can't wait to test it out......

The Garage Pro Travel Trunk sold by J.C. Whitney comes with a steel mounting plate. This is a rugged travel trunk. It will take a lot of abuse, and last for years.

If you order before Tuesday, you can get a 10 percent discount, and receive the large travel trunk for $40.46, delivered. Many of us on ADVRider bought the large trunk for $48, delivered, and it was an exceptional deal at that price. This is an amazing deal; you can't go wrong.

Search ADVRider for reports on the J.C. Whitney Travel Trunk. Apparently you can also fit this travel trunk to Givi mounts. Some riders here bought three of the trunks, and mounted them as saddlebags as well.

Spud

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Spud, thanks for the updated info, I ordered 1 this morning. Pics when it arrives and is mounted. Bill C

anybody had there running light buld on there blinkers go out yet. my left one went out right at 600 miles!!! lol blinker still works looks like its off to the parts store allready

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That reminds me. My front left blinker lens wasn't seated flush with the black part. My instinct was to push it in to seat it, but it didn't want to go. Good thing, after undoing the Phillips screw, and taking it off, there's a tab to the right (looking at it from the front) that that inserts into the rear part, then secure it with the screw. Had I just tried to push it in, it would have broken off the tab. Weather permitted me to wear out my tires a bit here for the last couple of days.

easygojoe, coming from a old guy 68 and have just about every size dual sport out there you are going to really enjoy this bike. I think you will be very pleased with the performance and handling of the bike, some guys here do a lot of upgrades to the bike, I myself ride then in the stock form and add only protection and safety items to the bike, but each of us have are own way on how we like it, ie., make it your own. Can't believe there is a Honda dealer out there that has never had this model to sell, makes me wonder what type of dealer he is and where is his location. You will probably get a better deal on the dealer that has more to offer and has them on the floor to sell, don't wait too long as summer is upon us. Try to read as many post as you can, this will answer many question, but we here are always willing to help.

Another successful ADVenture on the LRP, with about 1300 miles mixed riding going to the Death Valley ADV n00b Rally!

The bike performed wonderfully, all the guards took a beating and protected the bike, and the Bazzaz controller really shined when things got tough giving Nancy more oomph to chug out of places, while giving us the option to switch maps on the fly to get good milage when needed.
I'm going to need to straighten out the brake and shift levers, but it's perfect they are soft and just bend instead of breaking something that could stop the ride. All and all the LRP was just perfect and I believe Nancy had a great time riding it, if not a little sore from the ride and crashes.

Go LRP!

Nancy took a Jimmy Lewis class, best money spent of improving the ride IMO and he even jumped on the LRP to demonstrate a few techniques...

Nancy looks like a real trooper, you are lucky you have a wife that can ride that well and keep up with the group. Your pics always look great.

John

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Yeah, nice pics Lost. Trying to figure out what weight the stock suspension was "gauged" at. Looks like Nancy is tiptoeing a bit, thinking she's maybe 5' 6"ish. We all ride differently, when I've been off road, it seems OK to me, though I'm not doing the kind of riding I was years ago. I'm 5' 9"/165, but some have posted weighing in at a bit more. Being a "world bike", wondering who the "average rider" is. Way to go reducing weight by taking the stickers off!